August102017

August092017

Here’s a nice mail surprise! Eyvind Earle was the genius Disney concept artist, who did the wonderful, “Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom,” and most notably established the look of Sleeping Beauty, which is the best looking animated film (from design to background to character to clean up) ever. Ever! Absolutely gorgeous!

On my last trip to California, I actually got to hold an original background painting from the film (complete with cell overlay) and it was maybe the most incredible piece of actual art I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

We both liked writing about trains and people waiting for trains...

As promised, here’s my first excerpt from my Monday Denver Writes Creative Writing Club writings. As it only seems fair that since I post their writing on the Denver Writes site, instagram, facebook, etc… and I’m doing the exact same writing prompts and exercises.. I should post my stuff as well. I think I might come up with a more unified theme name for these posts, but as of right now,…

Listening to Mirror Love by The Family Crest

I don’t know when I decided to make Monday my designated writing time. Not my designated blogging time, but writing time. Actually, Monday became my designated writing time in January when I started doing the after-school writing club for Denver Writes. Not to short change the writing that I do with the kids, or even the writing the kids are putting out (which is aaaaahmazing), but I’ve started taking the time after to do my own writing on my own projects.

Well.

Generally, I start by doing some Denver Writes business, emails, website stuff, etc. Then maybe some drawing, and maybe after 2 glasses of wine (“the Kevin special,” as the they mockingly refer to it), then I start getting into the dark recesses of my own personal writing. This has mostly worked out in my favor, I’ve had really productive writing days, and then other days… I’ve started making friends, and found that then it’s harder to be as productive on the writing…. but I’m doing a good job on the social aspect?

Anyway.

It took me far too long to get that other thing out of me (my last post). Now that it is, and no matter how rough and ugly and raw and unfinished.. the whole point was to get it out. And now that it is, it’s on to the next life of this blog. I’ve decided the best way to prevent myself from getting burned out by making this the “place where I write the super emotional whatever blah blah blah” is to find other things I want to write about. Not that I won’t write the super emotional whatevers, but a nice mix would be nice.

New Subsections:

A Small Talent for Games (or How I Learned to Accept my 30 Year Struggle to Be Good at Video Games) – a look inside the art form that I love to death, but am terrible at, by exploring the games I’ve actually finished. Ideally it will incentivze me to finish more video games (yeah, because I’ve got that kind of time…). I’ll be starting with the exceptional classic, Earthbound and modern classic, Gravity Rush. My pal Ryan, who came up with my main blog name helped me workshop the title. Look for that soonish..

A chronological exploration of all of the Disney Animation Studios films (maybe a title to come?) – Me going from Snow White to.. probably Giants by the time I finish, exploring what makes each of these films worthwhile. Like how even the admittedly bad ones, like Three Cabelleros, contain sequences like that magnificent chalk animation Mary Blair inspired sequence. I’ve wanted to do this for years. YEARS. Leading back to my MySpace blog which has the first four or five. The difference and challenge now is that I’m going to accompany these with art from the films. Many of these characters I’ve never drawn, despite the fact that Disney taught me to draw, I’ve always felt that I wasn’t good enough to draw the characters (being insane is hard). Like the other section, this will take TIME, don’t expect it up until.. end of August or September.

Next will be my writings from the weekly Denver Writes Creative Writing Club. The way the group is set up, I do the same writing as the students, and since I take their work and put it on the Denver Writes website, it’s only fair. The first of these will be posted, IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS POST! And, if I don’t have a class? I have a backlog of writing from January onward to work with. And..

Finally, sections of other writing I’m working on. Or older full finished writing projects, that need a polish? That script about the crush I have on you? (I mean, you know, the idealized version of basically everyone I knew and liked from 2009 – 2014). Well, I’m going to start putting up sections of dialogue or story or Harmon-esque story circles, as I write them, and then you can laugh at me and point out the reason I don’t have a serious relationship is because I take every interpersonal interaction and turn it into super personal writing that makes people not want to be around me. Like I don’t already know.. Blah blah blah..

BEYOND regular blog work, I plan on doing some more constant art projects. Aside from activating my Society 6 page (look for that everywhere soon), I want to do more creative art projects. And I mean more than just getting better at drawing pretty girls (though some of that too). I have two upcoming comic book projects. My Denver Comic artist friends (who I miss very much) have spent almost two years pushing me to do my own comic thing.. but I could never figure out what to do. Until now.

The first, something with all those cute animals I like drawing, you know, the bear, the cat, the penguins, all of the penguins, and.. most likely cute women based on my friends. I’m working with someone right now on the version of her that is intended to appear. I’ve wanted to do this for years, but I was always afraid of copying Frank Cho’s masterpiece, Liberty Meadows. I think I’ve finally figured out an angle. Mostly I want to do something light and fun as a…let’s say, counterbalance….to the other project. I have an idea to release it via Instagram, inspired by pal who did the wonderfully missed Molly & Mog Instagram strip – inspired, but very different! (He was the first to say just do it even if it is copying me) My plan is to do one of these a week. And to prove I’m not just saying it, here’s some sketches of what I’m working on:

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Little round baby penguins. My new favorite thing to draw.

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OKAY.

Let’s end heavy. The other project I’m working on. We’re almost at four years. Which means I think it’s time to finally talk about my mom and her cancer and her death. Slightly because I need to get it out of me, but also because.. It’s time to get it out of me. I think I’m at an emotional level where I can actually handle talking about it. And I want it to be a comic, or partially comic based, because, that’s what feels right to me at this moment. Because I do want to be more than the artist who draws pretty girls. This.. is going to take some time to really get going and I haven’t quite figured out how it’s going to be (small bits here and there or wait until the final product). And, despite feeling able to undertake this.. October and November are not the easiest months for me.. so progress might stall during those months.

Alright.

I think I have enough reasons to justify continuing a blog. Now the responsibility is on you, YOU, to hold me accountable. So, like.. the three of you who read this… Just kidding. As with everything, it’s on me.

ok. ok. what’s next?
I don’t know when I decided to make Monday my designated writing time. Not my designated blogging time, but writing time.